2 Blokes From Blighty - Where's The Line?

The Game Club Podcast

The Moon is considered part of humanity's shared heritage and is not owned by any one country, corporation, or individual. This principle is established by the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, a cornerstone of space law signed by over 110 countries, including all major spacefaring nations.

Key provisions of the treaty include:

1. No Sovereignty: Nations cannot claim sovereignty over the Moon or any celestial body. This means no country can declare the Moon as its territory.
2. Peaceful Purposes: The Moon must only be used for peaceful purposes, prohibiting military bases or weapons of mass destruction.
3. Benefit for All: Space exploration, including activities on the Moon, should benefit all humanity.

The Moon Agreement of 1979 attempted to expand on these ideas by suggesting that the Moon and its resources are the "common heritage of mankind" and that resource extraction should be regulated internationally. However, the agreement has been ratified by only a few countries, and none of the major spacefaring nations (like the U.S., Russia, or China) are parties to it.

In practice, there’s growing ambiguity about how lunar resources will be governed. Recent initiatives like the Artemis Accords (led by NASA) and China's plans for a lunar research station highlight the need for updated frameworks to manage activities such as mining, which could complicate the "public space" concept.

So, while the Moon is legally a "public space" under current treaties, the specifics of resource ownership and governance are still evolving.

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